have succeeded in performing the first service which
thou hast demanded of me."

Horace staggered under this severe blow to his pride; for the moment he
could only gasp: "You--_you_ sent him to me?"

"I, and no other," said the Jinnee, beaming with satisfaction; "for
while, unseen of men, I was circling in air, resolved to attend to thy
affair before beginning my search for Suleyman (on whom be peace!), it
chanced that I overheard a human being of prosperous appearance say
aloud upon a bridge that he desired to erect for himself a palace if he
could but find an architect. So, perceiving thee afar off seated at an
open casement, I immediately transported him to the place and delivered
him into thy hands."

"But he knew my name--he had my card in his pocket," said Horace.

"I furnished him with the paper containing thy names and abode, lest he
should be ignorant of them."

"Well, look here, Mr. Fakrash," said the unfortunate Horace, "I know you
meant well--but _never_ do a thing like that again! If my
brother-architects came to know of it I should be accused of most
unprofessional behaviour. I'd no idea you would take that way of
introducing a client to me, or I should have stopped it at once!"

"It was an error," said Fakrash. "No matter. I will undo this affair,
and devise some other and better means of serving thee."

"No, no," he said, "for Heaven's sake, leave things alone--you'll only
make them worse. Forgive me, my dear Mr. Fakrash, I'm afraid I must seem
most ungrateful; but--but I was so taken by surprise. And really, I am
extremely obliged to you. For, though the means you took were----were a
little irregular, you have done me a very great service."

"It is naught," said the Jinnee, "compared to those I hope to render so
great a benefactor."

"But, indeed, you mustn't think of trying to do any more for me," urged
Horace, who felt the absolute necessity of expelling any scheme of
further benevolence from the Jinnee's head once and for all. "You have
done enough. Why, thanks to you, I am engaged to build a palace that
will keep me hard at work and happy for ever so long."

"Are human beings, then, so enamoured of hard labour?" asked Fakrash, in
wonder. "It is not thus with the Jinn."

"I love my work for its own sake," said Horace, "and then, when I have
finished it, I shall have earned a very fair amount of money--which is
particularly important to me just now."

"And why, my son, art thou so desiro